Faith,Force,and Frigidity: The Expulsion of Oyiza

​By Olatunji Adesina

​A marriage that began with festive cheers in the historic city of Ibadan has ended in a public spectacle of excommunication and “spiritual warfare.” The Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide (HOREMOW) has officially expelled a new bride, Oyiza, after she reportedly refused to consummate her marriage to her husband, Isaac, for five months.

​The union, which spanned traditional rites in Kogi and a legal ceremony in Oyo State, soured almost immediately. According to church records and a viral video released by the movement’s International Director, Pastor Paul Rika, the bride was labeled a “demon” and “delivered to Satan” after mediation efforts failed.

​A Union Under Pressure

​The husband, Isaac, claims that while Oyiza initially consented, she began expressing “doubts and a loss of feelings” months before the wedding. Despite these red flags, the church’s marriage committee encouraged the couple to “pray through it,” a move that experts often warn ignores the psychological reality of emotional detachment.

​Once the vows were exchanged, the resistance turned physical. Isaac recounted instances where Oyiza would accuse him of attempted rape when he sought intimacy. He also described peculiar domestic friction, noting that she would “force” him to bathe every night and even called neighborhood children into their bedroom to act as a physical barrier against his advances.

​The Cleric’s Verdict: “Deliver Her to Satan”

​The most controversial aspect of the saga remains the church’s response. Rather than suggesting clinical counseling or annulment, Pastor Paul Rika took to the church’s YouTube channel to denounce the bride.

​Comparing marriage to “business” and referencing ancient cultural practices where weeping brides were forced into homes, Rika’s rhetoric has sparked a debate on the limits of ecclesiastical authority. “Even the harlots, do they sleep with those that love them?” the cleric queried, before urging the congregation to pray for Oyiza’s “destruction.”

​The “Coercion” Factor

​The bride’s defense, albeit voiced through her husband’s accounts of their arguments, centers on a singular claim: “My mother forced me.”

ADVERTISEMENT

​Psychologists suggest that what the church labels as “spiritism” or “demonic possession” may actually be a trauma response to a forced or pressured union. When an individual is coerced into a lifelong commitment against their will, the body often reacts with physical revulsion, a condition that no amount of “counseling” by untrained religious leaders can fix.

​As of today, the marriage remains a “suffocating” memory, leaving a trail of questions about consent, the role of modern African churches in marital disputes, and the fine line between religious discipline and spiritual abuse.